Locating Fallacies

In Chapter 10 of "Thinking for Yourself," is dedicated to identfying and locating fallacies. Mayfield provides a breakdown of many common fallacies. In this blog you will select 2 fallacies, that Mayfield discusses in the text, define each and find examples on line of each type of fallacy. Then you will post your definition (in your own words, not the text) and the examples in the blog environment.

For example, "a bandwagon fallacy is defined as one who follows others without question, in argument it's a reasoning error, because he did I'm going to do it too. I found this in listening to Olbermann describe the Bush-Chenney effect. Click the link above and watch Keith's special comment.

What other fallacies can you find?

Church and State

Just before you read the Wallis text, Mayfield provides a brief bio of Wallis. What kind of information does Mayfield give on the author? Identify the kind of specific information. What is her purpose here?

What is Wallis's viewpoint? How does he support it? What is your point of view with respect to church and state? Are the two intertwined?

What Affect does Television have on Children?

In "The Loss of Innocence" by James P. Steyer, the argument is made that children are corrupted by television.

In the article "Good news, bad news for tube-watching tots:
When it comes to screen time, experts say content is key" by The Associated Press, the AP claims that there are two primary schools of thought: 1. "The claims vary widely, from proponents who say TV and baby software can help kids learn to criticisms that they steal crucial time once spent playing and reading, or even causes attention disorders." And 2. "The reality: There is little clear data on how TV affects child development at any age, much less before age 2 — and even less research on computers for tots, video games and other now-pervasive electronic media."

Which side does Steyer fall on? What is his point of view? How does he support it? Which side do you fall on? Why?

Remember in this post to make specific references to the Steyer essay. Points will be deducted for those who fail to do so.

The entire "Good News, bad news" article can be found at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12806594/